When In Camelot
by Maplefrost
Summary: ...never, under any circumstances, do as the Camelot-ians do. A series of drabble fics, some of them responses to prompts, others random plot bunnies. Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1: Lock

So, this is the first of several little drabbles. This is a response to the prompt word 'lock'.

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><p>"Unggh..."<p>

Gwaine shook his head, blinking his eyes several times to try and ward off the inevitable headache attacking him. He lifted one hand to shield his eyes from the light, which felt like daggers stabbing into his brain. He rubbed his eyes, and then lifted his other hand to scratch his head.

Only to find that it was extremely heavy.

He looked at his hand. He was shackled to another human being. Shaking his head, he glanced over at the other person.

"Merlin..." His speech was slurred slightly, from sleep and a horrible hangover. He reached his free hand over to shake the young servant-boy. "Merlin, wake up."

Merlin jerked awake, and quickly fell back again as the same symptoms hit him. "Wha...Gwaine? What...happened?"

"You got drunk."

A voice came from behind them, dripping with sarcasm and pride. Gwaine and Merlin turned their heads, only to see a familiar, blond prince standing behind them. "And I took advantage of your unconciousness." He shook a ring of keys in front of him, the jangling noise sending both men's heads spinning.

"Give those here, you cotton head!" Merlin barked.

Arthur chuckled, and then sprinted off down a dark corridor. "Come and get 'em!"


	2. Chapter 2: Click

Another drabble. Response to the word prompt 'click'.

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><p>Merlin and Arthur sat outside of the king's throneroom, waiting for Uther to decide whether or not it was safe for Arthur to lead an expedition into Druid territory. They were next to each other, leaning against the wall.<p>

And Merlin was bored out of his mind.

His arms were hugging his knees to his chest. He moved an arm down to play with the buckles on his boot. 'Click, clickety, click-clack...'

"Merlin."

Merlin looked up. "What?"

"Can you please stop doing that?"

Merlin looked down at his boot, and then grinned. "What? This?" He moved the buckles around. 'Click, clickclickclick...'

"Stop that."

'Click click click-"

"I am ordering you, as Prince of Camelot, to stop what you ar-"

'Clickety clack click-"

"I WILL PUT YOU IN THE STOCKS!"

Silence.

Merlin sighed, resting his head on his knees again. For a few moments, he stared into space. Then, he glanced over, to see if Arthur was watching him. He wasn't. With a smile, Merlin leaded his hand down again.

'Click.'

"MERLIN!"


	3. Chapter 3: Patter

Eee. This one's SUPER short. Response to the word prompt 'patter'.

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><p>Soft drops of rain fell on the roof of the castle, echoing through the rooms and hallways. In one room, Prince Arthur had been sitting in a chair, whilst his servant, Merlin, dried and polished his armor. They had been hunting in the rain all day, and Merlin was exhaused. He smiled at his reflection in Arthur's knee-plate, satisfied that he was finally done and could leave the prat alone.<p>

Merlin started to stand up, rag in hand. "OW!"

Arthur, apparently, had fallen asleep. And, in his sleep, he had grabbed a handful of Merlin's raven hair. Merlin tried to gently pull away, but the prince wouldn't budge. Finally, Merlin lifted a hand to pry Arthur's fingers away.

"Merww..." Arthur shifted, frowning.

Merlin rolled his eyes. He sighed, and leaned against Arthur's knee, closing his eyes.

Above him, Arthur smiled in his sleep.


	4. Chapter 4: Purebred

Response to the word prompt 'purebred'.

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><p>"So, he really thinks that this is necessary?"<p>

"Yes, he does."

Arthur stood, with a man he barely knew, waiting for another man he didn't know. He was standing with Haverforth, the captain of Uther's guard, outside of the castle. As they spoke, a horse-drawn carriage pulled up in front of them. A man hopped out of the carriage, hurrying up to the two of them.

"Prince Arthur, a pleasure to meet you sir." He gave a quick bow. "I can assure you, this animal is the star of our stock, sir. You won't be dissappointed."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Fine, alright then." Uther had commisioned for a hunting dog to be bred specifically for Arthur. The beast was an irish wolfhound, reknowned for their courage, obedience, and presence in past courts of nobility. This dog, called 'Prionsa', was bred from the best of this famed breeder's dogs.

The man walked back to the carriage and led out Prionsa. The dog was massive, coming up higher than Arthur's hip, and covered with shaggy gray fur. The moment it looked at Arthur, it growled.

"I am so sorry, sir. He is usually quite sociable...he may have not enjoyed the carriage-ride too much." He handed the leash to the prince. "Perhaps, if you walk with him a while, he will calm down."

Arthur nodded and took the leash, but the moment he did so, the dog ran off, with the prince of Camelot on his heels. He ran around several corners before he saw the dog running towards - oh, what a day - Merlin.

"Merlin, watch out! That dog is aggres-"

"Aw, hey, boy!"

Prionsa stopped dead at Merlin's voice. He lifted his ears, and then trotted over to him, tongue lolling. "Such a sweet boy...what's your name, fella?" He glanced at the gold plate on his collar. "Prionsa...a noble name for a noble hound, eh?" He scratched Prionsa behind the ears. The hound's tail wagged back and forth.

"What?" Arthur tried to take the lead again, but the dog started to growl.

"I don't think he likes you," Merlin muttered. He chuckled, and the dog jumped up, leaning its long forelegs on Merlin's shoulders.

"I see that, Merlin," Arthur retorted. He thought a moment. "You know what? I can hunt without a dog. I'll tell my father that the dog never arrived. You can keep him."

Merlin's eyes widened. "Really? Well, thank you, sire. He's a fine animal, even if he hates you."

Arthur let out a grunt of acknowledgement and turned to leave, a little annoyed. As he walked away, he heard Merlin address the dog again.

"Prionsa is a little too...'sophisticated' for me...how about...Solatach?"


End file.
